Chronic back pain is an epidemic. Nerve impingement is not seen by CT or MRI in about 85% of back pain patients [Deyo R A, Weinstein J N: Low back pain, N Eng J Med, 344(5) February, 363-370, 2001. Boswell M V, et. al.: Interventional Techniques: Evidence-based practice guidelines in the management of chronic spinal pain, Pain Physician, 10:7-111, ISSN 1533-3159, 2007]. In fact, lumbar disc prolapse, protrusion, or extrusion account for less than 5% of all low back problems, but are the most common causes of nerve root pain and surgical interventions (Manchikanti L, Derby R, Benyamin R M, Helm S, Hirsch J A: A systematic review of mechanical lumbar disc decompression with nucleoplasty, Pain Physician; 12:561-572 ISSN 1533-3159, 2009). The cause of chronic back pain in most patients has been puzzling to both physicians and patients.
Studies indicate back pain is correlated with high lactic acid in the disc. Leakage of the acid causes acid burn and persistent back pain. In addition, as the disc degenerates and flattens, the compressive load is shifted from the flattened disc to facet joints, causing strain and pain. Both lactic acid burn and strain of the facet joints are not visible under CT or MRI.
Intervertebral discs are avascular (no blood vessels). Nutrients, oxygen and pH buffer 131 essential for disc cells are supplied by the capillaries 107 in the vertebral bodies 159 and diffused from superior and inferior endplates 105 into the disc 100, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Blood pH is tightly regulated between 7.35 and 7.45, mainly by the pH buffering bicarbonate dissolved in blood plasma diffused through superior and inferior endplates 105 into the disc 100.
However, depth of diffusion is shallow into thick human discs 100. Depth of oxygen diffusion from the endplates 105 is summarized in FIG. 3 (Stairmand J W, Holm S, Urban J P G: Factor influencing oxygen concentration gradients in disc, Spine, Vol. 16, 4, 444-449, 1991). Similarly, depths of glucose diffusion are less than 3 mm from superior and inferior endplates (Maroudas A, Stockwell R A, Nachemson A, Urban J: Factors involved in the nutrition of the human lumbar intervertebral disc: Cellularity and diffusion of glucose in vitro, J. Anat., 120, 113-130, 1975). Nearly all animals have thin discs; depths of diffusion of oxygen and nutrients seem to be sufficient. Lumbar discs of a large sheep weighing 91 kg (200 pounds) are less than 3 mm thick. However, human lumbar discs are about 7-12 mm thick. Mid layers of our thick discs 100 suffer severe oxygen and nutritional deficiency.
Under anaerobic condition within the mid layer, lactic acid 162 is produced and leaked from the nucleus 128 through fissures 121 to burn surrounding nerves 118, 194 causing persistent back pain, as depicted in FIGS. 4-6. Some patients experience leg pain without visible nerve impingement under MRI or CT. Lactic acid 162 can leak from the nucleus 128 through fissures 121 to spinal nerves 194, causing leg pain as depicted in FIGS. 4-5. Leg pain without visible impingement is commonly called chemical radiculitis.
High lactic acid content in discs correlates with back pain. In fact, dense fibrous scars and adhesions, presumably from lactic acid 162 burn, can be found around nerve roots 194 during spinal surgery [Diamant B, Karisson J, Nachemson A: Correlation between lactate levels and pH of patients with lumbar rizopathies, Experientia, 24, 1195-6, 1968. Nachemson A: Intradiscal measurements of pH in patients with lumbar rhizopathies. Acta Orthop Scand, 40, 23-43, 1969. Keshari K R, Lotz J C, Link T M, Hu S, Majumdar S, Kurhanewicz J: Lactic acid and proteoglycans as metabolic markers for discogenic back pain, Spine, Vol. 33(3):312-317, 2008].
As we age, calcified layers 108 form and accumulate at the endplates 105, blocking capillaries 107 and further limiting the depth of diffusion of nutrients/oxygen/pH buffer 131 into the disc 100, as shown in FIG. 6. Mid layers of the disc 100 suffer chronic and severe starvation and anaerobic conditions. Disc cells can survive without oxygen, but die without sugars. Nucleus 128 contains glycosaminoglycans with covalently bonded sugars, essential for retaining water in the disc 100. Degradation of glycosaminoglycans to release sugars for consumption allows disc cells to survive, but initiates compositional and structural change, creating voids 184 and loosely packed nucleus matrix in a degenerated disc 100, as shown in FIG. 7, [Urban J P, Smith S, Fairbank J C T: Nutrition of the Intervertebral Disc, Spine, 29 (23), 2700-2709, 2004. Benneker L M, Heini P F, Alini M, Anderson S E, Ito K: Vertebral endplate marrow contact channel occlusions & intervertebral disc degeneration, Spine V30, 167-173, 2005. Holm S, Maroudas A, Urban J P, Selstam G, Nachemson A: Nutrition of the intervertebral disc: solute transport and metabolism, Connect Tissue Res., 8(2): 101-119, 1981].
Composition Change of the Intervertebral Discs (approximation)
NormalPainful% Change fromDiscsDiscsNormal DiscsGlycosamino-27.4 ± 2.4%14.1 ± 1.1%−48.5%glycansCollagen22.6 ± 1.9%34.8 ± 1.4%  +54%Water content81.1 ± 0.9%74.5 ± 1%   −8.1%AciditypH 7.14pH 6.65-5.70[H+]: +208%[H+]:[H+]:to +2.661%7.20 × 10−82.23 × 10−7to2.00 × 10−6(Reference: Kitano T, Zerwekh J, Usui Y, Edwards M, Flicker P, Mooney V: Biochemical changes associated with the symptomatic human intervertebral disk, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, 293, 372-377, 1993. Scott J E, Bosworth T R, Cribb A M, Taylor J R: The chemical morphology of age-related changes in human intervertebral disc glycosaminoglycans from cervical, thoracic and lumbar nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus. J. Anat., 184, 73-82, 1994. Diamant B, Karlsson J, Nachemson A: Correlation between lactate levels and pH of patients with lumbar rizopathies, Experientia, 24, 1195-1196, 1968. Nachemson A: Intradiscal measurements of pH in patients with lumbar rhizopathies, Acta Orthop Scand, 40, 23-43, 1969.)
When glycosaminoglycans diminish, water content and swelling pressure in the nucleus pulposus 128 decrease. The nucleus 128 with reduced swelling pressure can no longer distribute forces evenly against the circumference of the inner annulus 378 to keep the annulus bulging outward. As a result, the inner annulus 378 sags inward while the outer annulus 378 bulges outward, creating annular delamination 114 and weakened annular layers 378, possibly initiating fissure 121 formation depicted in FIGS. 5-6. Holes or vacuoles 184 can be found during dissection of cadaveric discs 100, as shown in FIG. 7. Nucleus pulposi 128 of degenerated discs 100 are usually desiccated, with reduced swelling pressure and decreased capability to sustain compressive loads. The compressive load is thus transferred to the facet joints 129, pressing the inferior articular process 143 against the superior articular process 142 of the facet joint 129, causing strain, wear and/or pain as shown in FIG. 8 (Dunlop R B, Adams M A, Hutton W C: Disc space narrowing and the lumbar facet joints, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery—British Volume, Vol. 66-B, Issue 5, 706-710, 1984).
A disc 100 with reduced swelling pressure is similar to a flat tire with flexible or flabby side walls. The vertebral body 159 above the soft or flabby disc 100 easily shifts or sways, as shown in FIG. 9. This is commonly called segmental or spinal instability. As shown in FIG. 10, the frequent or excessive movement of the vertebral body 159 strains the facet joints 129. Patients with spinal instability often use their muscles to guard or support their spines to ease facet pain. As a result, muscle tension and aches arise, but are successfully treated with muscle relaxants. Spinal motions, including compression, torsion, extension, flexion and lateral bending, were measured before and after saline injection into cadaveric discs. Intradiscal saline injections into slow leaking cadaveric discs reduced all spinal motions (Andersson G B J, Schultz A B: Effects of fluid on mechanical properties of intervertebral discs, J. Biomechanics, Vol. 12, 453-458, 1979).
Discography is a common diagnostic technique for identifying or confirming a painful disc 100 before surgical intervention. A spinal needle 102 is guided by a fluoroscope toward the Kambin's Triangle 504 in FIGS. 8 and 11, a posterior-lateral area through which spinal needle 102 can access a lumbar disc 100 safely. The anterior-posterior view in FIG. 12 guides the needle 102 between endplates 105, but does not show the ventral-dorsal location of the needle 102 tip. Before passing the pedicle 278 midway, a lateral fluoroscopic view depicted in FIG. 13 must be taken to ensure the needle 102 is not too dorsal, entering into the epidural space 119. FIG. 13 depicts the lateral fluoroscopic view, showing the needle 101 tip is ventral to the epidural space 119 and can safely enter into the mid layer of the disc 100.
In literature, sizable disc 100 puncturing or laceration accelerates disc degeneration. In non-painful discs 100, a small spinal needle 460 within the spinal needle 102 is used to puncture the disc 100 as shown in FIG. 14. FIG. 15 shows intradiscal injection of X-ray contrast 163, flushing out lactic acid 162 in the disc 100 through fissures 121 to burn the sensory nerve 118, instantaneously causing excruciating pain and confirming specific painful disc 100. For normal or non-painful discs, discography is nearly painless. The spinal needle 102 is not shown in FIG. 15. The spinal needle 102 in FIGS. 11-16 allows joining of diagnostic discography with therapeutic intervention to relieve back pain during the same visit to save time and reduce pain.
Urinary incontinence is common among women after multiple pregnancies. Weight of the fetus partially rests on the bladder, flattening and widening the bladder neck and urethral lumen. The sphincteric action of the urethral smooth muscle cannot contract far enough to close the widened lumen for coaptation of urethral mucosa, resulting in urinary incontinence.